Wieners on wheels: New mobile restaurants offer wide range
SUE KIDD; Staff writer
Have cart, just add dog.
I’ve spotted three new mobile hot dog restaurants all on wheels in the last three months. The mobile dog restaurants range from traditional dogs (think Chicago and Coney) to silly dogs topped with pork and beans, and deep-fried bacon-wrapped gluttony.
Mobile food in South Sound is nothing new. Mobile taco trucks and trailers have operated here for years. But in the past year, a handful of food carts serving different styles of street eats have spun into town that I’ve written about here or for the TNT Diner blog: Tommy Chicago’s Hot Dog at 112th and Pacific (fall 2009), Out-n-About Burger trailer on Meridian in Puyallup (November 2009), and Barrel No. 51 on South Tacoma Way and American Lake park (spring 2010).
With Tacoma’s current pilot program loosening the restrictions on mobile vendors in the hopes of attracting food carts to Tollefson Plaza, it’s anyone’s guess what’s next for mobile food here.
Northwest cities such as Portland and Seattle have burgeoning mobile food scenes.
Could the South Sound be rolling toward the same culinary territory? I’ll be watching and reporting. If anyone sees a roving or stationary Philly cheesesteak cart, please call me.
Here is a look at the newest mobile hot dog restaurants. I didn’t list when they open and close because most don’t have consistent hours.
DAVE’S 21 DOGS
Where: 27815 state Route 410 East, Buckley, in the parking lot of Dave’s Deals on Wheels
Phone: 253-255-0045
True to the dog stand’s name, Dave’s 21 Dogs serves 21 different styles of hot dogs. The truck opened July 15 and always is stationed in the parking lot of Dave’s Deals on Wheels in Buckley, unless they’re catering an event. (Call ahead or check their Facebook page first.)
At Dave’s 21 Dogs, hot dog fans can find the classics – a Chicago Dog, Coney Dog and a good ol’ plain dog – but it also offers a few unusual dogs.
The Cour-Dog-Bleu is a bacon-wrapped dog with provolone cheese. The Seattle dog sports cream cheese and grilled onions. The Kansas City Dog has sauerkraut and Swiss.
We opted for classics.
The Chicago ($3.75) came with a few trade-offs that fell short of deeming it Chicago traditional. An all-beef dog (from Costco, the cashier told us) came on a stadium roll instead of the traditional poppy seed bun that is a hallmark of a Chicago dog. It was sprinkled with poppy seeds, though. The rest of the dog met my Chicago-loving standards – a squiggle of mustard, a sprinkle of celery salt, chopped onions, thick-sliced tomatoes, a pickle spear, sport peppers and sweet relish (minus the neon green, though).
Warning: The dogs have no skins. If you prefer yours with snappy bite, you won’t find it here.
The Coney Dog ($3.25) was true to its Midwestern roots: a beanless beef chili topped an all-beef dog with chopped onions and mustard on a soft stadium roll. It also was a big, sloppy mess.
Dave’s serves skins-on thin cut fries and onion rings, too.
For condiment fiends, five kinds of mustard, mayo and ketchup make up the condiment bar, alongside sweet and dill relish, kraut and jalapenos.
I appreciated that the condiments, located in direct sunlight, were on ice and felt to be at a safe temperature.
Licensing: The cart’s mobile vendor sticker from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department was displayed on the back of the truck – right where it’s required to be. They also had their health certificate and business licenses on display behind the windows of the truck.
OH MY DOG
Where: 4315 Pacific Highway East, Fife, the parking lot of B.J.’s II Tobacco
Phone: 253-347-7074
I first spotted Oh My Dog while ordering a cheeseburger at my favorite burger stand, Pick Quick in Fife. Right across the street, in the parking lot of B.J.’s Tobacco, is a small mobile trailer serving 20 kinds of dogs with toppings that include (not kidding) pork and beans, scrambled eggs and even a jalapeno popper-inspired creation with cream cheese, jalapeno and raspberry jam. The cart opened about three months ago and is permanently stationed at the tobacco store.
If you’re looking for a classic Chicago or Coney, you won’t find it here. This mobile unit is all about hot dog kitsch.
The Tijuana Dog ($4.50) is a bacon-wrapped wallop of a dog that was deep fried and pushed into a soft stadium roll, drizzled with mustard and barbecue sauce, and topped with sautéed onions. For a gut-bomb dog, it really was quite tasty.
The Steakhouse ($5.50) is a fast-food spin on a classic steakhouse pairing of meat, blue cheese and onions. Copious crumbles of pungent cheese and sweet, slow-cooked onions topped the dog.
All dogs come with a drink and chips. The dogs are all beef, but they lack skins, and thus snap. You can upgrade to a red hot, turkey, polish or kielbasa for an extra charge.
On a return trip, the foodie weirdo in me wanted to try the Frank and Beans dog, but I’m not sure I’d go back. When I handed my money over to the cashier, he turned around and finished making my dog – wearing the same gloves that he wore while handling my money. Gross out rating: 7.5 out of 10.
Licensing: Although workers there assured us they were licensed, I couldn’t find the mobile sticker that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department provides to licensed vendors. Owner Katie Manzanares told me by e-mail that her trailer falls under tribal rules because the trailer is located on tribal land. She wrote: “The tribe has its own health department that we answer to.” The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department confirmed that the trailer does not fall under its jurisdiction and that the tribe operates its own health services department.
ROLLIN’ HOTS
Where: Locations vary
Info: Find its location on Facebook, or call 253-651-0226
This is the inaugural summer run for the Rollin’ Hots dog truck and so far they’ve served up dogs at the Urban Arts Festival, but they don’t keep regular hours anywhere. The concept of Rollin’ Hots is different in that to find the truck’s location, diners need to check a Facebook page or call. They don’t have a permanently stationed home. I haven’t yet caught up with Rollin’ Hots, but I’ll report back if I do.
TOMMY CHICAGO HOT DOGS
Where: 111 112th St. S., Tacoma (Cash & Carry)
Phone: 253-882-5561
Update: I wrote about this mobile dog truck last year after it opened at 149th and Pacific. Tommy’s sells authentic Chicago dogs and more. Owner Tommy Marks told me he lost his lease at 149th and Pacific this week, but he plans to move to the parking lot near Cash & Carry after Sept. 26. From Sept. 10-26, he’ll sell dogs in the Cattin’s parking lot during the Puyallup Fair.
Sue Kidd: 253-597-8270
Sue.kidd@thenewstribune.com
